Have you ever wondered how professional athletes keep their eyes safe?
Many sports come with a high risk of injury, but eye injuries can be particularly
damaging. That is why full-time athletes take the time to protect their
eyes from potential injuries. Whether your interest in sports is recreational
or a career, finding the right protective eyewear is a must for keeping
your eyesight safe from harm.
Schaeffer Eye Center can help you find the best protective eyewear for your sport of choice.

How common are sports-related eye injuries?

Every year, more than 40,000 people wind up in the emergency room with
sports-related injuries to their eyes. The activities responsible for
the highest number of eye injuries include basketball, baseball, and racquet
sports such as tennis. The most common eye injury is blunt trauma, caused
when the eyes are directly struck and damaged. Radiation injuries, caused
by failure to protect your eyes from the sun, are common in water sports
such as water skiing.

How can sports-related eye injuries be prevented?

The vast majority of the eye injuries that are sustained during recreational
activities are entirely preventable. However, you should be aware that
helmets and faceguards are not sufficient to protect your eyes. The surest
way to avoid an eye injury is to use protective eyewear such as eye guards
or safety goggles. It is important to make sure that your eyewear uses
lenses that are made of 3-mm polycarbonate lenses, which both block the
sun’s ultraviolet rays and protect your eyes against impact. Since
these lenses are extremely light and thin, they will not burden or distract
you while you are participating in sports. If you already wear glasses
or contact lenses, protective eyewear can be fitted to your prescription.

At
Schaeffer Eye Center, we offer high-quality protective eyewear to help you perform well on
the field, including brands such as
Kaenon and Vuarnet. We have been Alabama’s most trusted vision care provider
for more than three decades. For more information on sports vision safety
and frame selections call us today at (888) 987-2020.

Schaeffer Eye Center’s
Contact Lens Center of Excellence is dedicated to helping every patient find the right contacts
to ensure healthy, accurate vision. If you are looking to get contact
lenses, look no further than our vision center. Schaeffer Eye Center has
the largest selection of products that include lenses for astigmatism,
multifocal contact lenses and specialty contact lenses that can help even
the highest prescriptions.

Our eye care professionals go through a 33-step process to evaluate and
determine the fit, comfort, and vision with each lens to ensure the best
outcome. Contact lens health education is also a very important part of
the evaluations so you can continue to wear your contacts safely. Avoiding
bad habits such as sleeping in your contact is one tip that our optometrist
stress. Learn more about what you can expect from your experience at our
Contact Lens Center of Excellence from this video.

When you choose
Schaeffer Eye Center for your vision needs, you get access to the most advance eye care in
Alabama. Evolve your eyes by calling (888) 987-2020 today.

Fall brings the start of contact sports. Does your athlete have a baseline
score for the
King-Devick test? Developed more than 30 years ago, the King-Devick test is an effective
means of testing for concussion after injury. It is an essential test
for anyone who participates in contact and collision activities.

What is the King-Devick test? The King-Devick test was developed in 1976 to study eye movement while
reading, which allows children to be screened for learning disabilities.
During the test, you are presented with a series of single digit numbers
and asked to read them aloud as quickly as possible. The test measures
your eyes ability to read and track numbers also known as saccadic eye
movements. The test takes about two minutes to complete, and it can be
taken using cards, a computer, or even an iPad.

How does the King-Devick test help athletes?

The King-Devick test is used as a sideline tool to help screen for concussions.
Once there is an established baseline, any test that shows an increase
in time or errors indicates there may be some vision issues related to
a possible concussion. A baseline is established before the season begins
with the fastest of two trials without errors.

How widely used is the King-Devick test?Sports-related concussions are a national problem; every year, up to 3.8 million concussions are
attributed to sports-related injuries. The King-Devick test is used around
the country to test athletes in high schools and colleges, as well as
at the professional level. Schaeffer Eye Center has teamed up with high
schools in the greater area of Birmingham, Alabama, so that every athlete
can have a baseline score.

Has your young athlete taken the King-Devick test? If not, call Schaeffer
Eye Center. With 16 eye care centers in Alabama, we are your No. 1 resource
for eye exams, eyeglasses and all of your other vision care needs. To
schedule an appointment at one of our locations today, call (888) 987-2020 or
request on appointment online.

Have you heard of hyperopia and myopia? If not, you may have heard of these
vision problems by their more common names: farsightedness and nearsightedness.
Use this vision care guide to see how these two conditions differ and
how they can be treated:

What is Hyperopia?

Hyperopia is
commonly known as farsightedness. People suffering from this condition have better and clearer vision when
looking at far away objects than they do when looking at objects that
are closer to their eyes. This condition occurs when the eye focuses light
behind the retina instead of focusing light on the retina. Having hyperopia
can make it difficult to read and complete tasks that involve working
with your hands.

How is Hyperopia Treated?

Depending on the severity of your hyperopia, there are numerous ways we
can improve your vision. Sometimes only part-time prescriptions are necessary
while other times full-time correction may make your vision better. Many
options exist to give you better vision like glasses, contact lenses, and even
LASIK surgery for some cases.

What is Myopia?

Myopia, or nearsightedness, is another condition that affects vision. Unlike hyperopia, people with
myopia can see closer objects better than distant ones. Myopia typically
occurs when the eyeball does not retain its normal shape, causing incoming
light to focus in front of the retina instead of directly on it. People
suffering from myopia may experience problems at school or work because
of their vision.

How is Myopia Treated?

Similar to hyperopia, myopia can be different for every patient. That is
why it is important to visit an eye care professional and find an option
that will work best for you. Eyeglasses and contacts can improve problems
caused by myopia. LASIK surgery is also an option for some patients with myopia.

Learn more about correcting hyperopia and myopia by contacting Schaeffer
Eye Center. Our optometrists can help you understand your vision problems
and find the best solution.
Request an appointment online or call us at (888) 987-2020.

Strong eyesight is essential to doing well in any sport. Clear vision,
the ability to focus, and strong peripheral and central vision can all
help you improve your performance on the field, whether you are swinging
a bat, hitting a hockey puck, or dunking a basketball. If you have suffered
a concussion, you need to find the right rehabilitation program to ensure
that your eyesight and reflexes make a full recovery. September is Sports
Eye Safety Awareness Month, which means that it is a great time to visit
Schaeffer Eye Center for an eye exam. Be sure to ask your eye doctor how eye exercises and
training can benefit you.

No matter what your sport of choice is, Schaeffer Eye Center offers the
vision exercises and training you need to keep your edge. We also use
the latest and best tests for post-trauma impairment assessment, such
as the King-Devick test. For more information on Schaeffer Eye Center’s
SportsVision program call our office today at (888) 987-2020.